Migration Impact Fund

MEMF undertook Community Diversity and Cohesion Project in partnership with Groundwork Kent & Medway to create an understanding and to identify the pressures on local public services and local host communities through engagement with newcomers to Medway area.

The aim of this project is to assist in establishing five new Eastern European communities, increase cultural awareness and integration, which can lead to greater community cohesion by participatory evaluation.

Benefits to the community:

New migrants would settle, form secure groups and therefore be in a position to integrate faster within the local community in Medway.Support and guidance that is available in their own languages will break traditional barriers ensuring faster and potentially more beneficial involvement with training and employment.

Community events with GKM to strengthen cultural awareness and togetherness.

An event was organised involving polish residentials on 20th March 2010 in Woodlands Primary School, Gillingham, in which we had representatives from the private sector housing who provided the information about a surgery, which is available for the eastern European communities. We also had a representative from the adult education to inform about ESOL and NVQ courses. The whole event was covered by an interpreter as representative from CIS (community interpreting services). Around 60 people attended and refreshments were provided for everyone.

Through the event we had people who enrolled for ESOL classes and managed to provide some individuals the work experience for classroom assistants and by this they enrolled on NVQ courses.